Rebecca Webb

Dorthe and I playing with the children outside at Malaika Babies Home

Nils pairing up the baby booties donated by Lucy Caslon (before the storm hit)

Last Saturday, Nils and I were helping out at Malaika Babies Home. The mothers and babies from Malaika House (Dorthe’s project), were being transferred to the baby home for the day whilst their house was being fumigated. It was a particularly humid in the morning, so we spent most of the time outside on the balcony and in the garden. To me, these children are amazing. They have not had the best start in life, yet they are here and they are happy, loving and adorable. I love what Lucy and the team have done and are doing for the children of Uganda.

After lunch, Nils and I set out to pair up all the baby shoes that had been kindly donated by Lucy Caslon (2008 Vodafone WOD winner). Lucy Caslon and I have built a great friendship over the past few months; it really is wonderful that as WOD winners we are all working together. She managed to source hundreds of pairs of shoes- absolutely brilliant! All I needed to do was deliver them.

Whilst sitting on the floor we noticed that it had started to rain. We thought it best to move some of the toys from outside, into the house. Then the rain got heavier, and it started to hail. Huge hailstones were thrashing down onto the building. It was so noisy; we could not hear ourselves speak. Everything from outside had to come in, shoes, books, rugs, balls the lot. Lucy Buck was filming the hailstones coming down on her phone, and Nils was taking a few photos. I had never seen anything like it!

The next thing we know, there was a huge crash- I thought it was a thunder bolt and lightening. It wasn’t. A six foot wall at the rear of the baby home had come crashing down with the pressure of the heavy rain (the home is on a hill). Within seconds dirty brown water came flooding through the patio doors. It was quite possibly the scariest moment of my life. Some of the babies were playing on the floor. Staff, mothers and volunteers scooped them in their arms. Some babies were sleeping in their cots. Lucy shouted that we needed to get all babies into the nurses’ station- the highest room in the house.

Nils clearing water from the baby home

Amazingly, although I was terrified I stayed relatively calm, and so did everyone else. As soon as the babies and mothers were in a safe place, the task of moving the water through the home began. One of the rear bedrooms was badly flooded, the window had been smashed with the force of the rain and there was glass mixed in with the flowing water. Steve, the driver was pushing the water through the home with a plank of wood. Nils was furiously mopping the water, through the corridors and out through the kitchen. Everyone was trying to move the water through the house as quickly as possible. Once the water was cleared and the rain had stopped, people got down to washing baby clothes, toys and cots that were covered in dirty water and debris. The teamwork was phenomenal. No one cried, got stressed, angry or irritated. Everyone just did what they needed to do.

The aftermath of the collapsed six foot wall

The cleanup operation took around four hours. By 5pm the babies were sitting in the living room, being fed their dinner. Pretty outstanding really, to think that just hours before the room was flooded. That evening, all I could think about was how brilliant the team work was that day. And what on earth must life be like for the people affected by the floods in Pakistan? It’s unbearable to think of. Thousands have lost lives, millions have lost homes. They have nothing. Please, if you take anything from reading this- and you haven’t done so already- donate to the Pakistan appeal.

Dinner time for the babies, just hours after the flood the home is spotless!

At the end of July, I packed up my possessions and moved from Kenya to Uganda. It was tough saying goodbye to my wonderful Kenyan colleagues, and at the same time exciting, finding somewhere as a base to live, and getting to know the Build Africa Uganda team here in Kampala. During my first week in Kampala, two of our donors visited from the UK and it was my role to accompany them for the week, ensuring their trip went as smoothly as possible. It felt very humbling to be the Build Africa representative, and to spend the week with the donors. The aim of their visit was to establish a School Tie link- (www.build-africa.org/pages/get-your-school-involved.html) with their Secondary school in Sussex, and our school- Kachumbala Township in a rural area of Kumi, in Uganda. We sat with the Head teacher, teachers, parents, members of the School Management Committee and discussed the plans for the future and how the link will positively benefit both schools. For anyone out there who is a teacher and would like to know more about building links with one of our schools and finding fun and intuitive ways of fundraising please contact- helen@build-africa.org.uk.

August was a busy month for filming. I worked alongside Jackie Sindall and Claire McGowan from the Build Africa UK office. We visited beneficiaries in their homes and schools in rural Uganda, to talk to them about the difference that our education and income programmes have made to their lives. The aim was to collect footage, to assist the UK fundraising team with three major projects- the Bluebirds Dinner: our annual fundraising dinner held in London (www.build-africa.org/news.php/33/build-africas-bluebird-dinner), the Elimu Challenge: we are asking local businesses in and around Tunbridge Wells, to join forces with us to help transform Puuna Primary School in Uganda (Elimu means Education in Kiswahili) (www.build-africa.org/pages/the-elimu-challenge.html), and a new gender campaign. I have been privileged to work in the schools that we support in Kenya and Uganda, and I have not spent as much time with the communities that benefit from our income projects. On one day, we visited three VSLA groups. Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), is an ingenious solution to the financial needs of the rural poor. Self selected members of the community pool their savings. The groups give people a safe place to save their money, access small loans and contribute to a welfare fund that members can draw on at any time in cases of emergency.

A VSLA Group with their Savings Books

The loans taken out may be used to start businesses, or help families meet sudden cash needs. The interest paid on the loans is shared out amongst all the group members as interest. These savings groups provide families with better nutrition and greatly improve access to decent healthcare. Members can also borrow from the welfare fund, interest free if they need to pay for something unexpectedly. Group members are able to buy school uniforms, pay school fees and ensure their children attend school instead of working. Significantly, around 70% of savers are women (VSL Associates 2010): the project is raising the self esteem and skill base of those members of society. We currently run three income generating projects: CARE VSLA (Village Savings and Loans Association) Eastern (CAVE), Buliisa Orphans Project (BOP) and Savings and Loans Associations Project (SLAP). It was great to experience and observe these groups at work. During one session, after the collection of the money from all members, a lady requested that she take out a loan to pay for the school fees of her children. The loan was agreed and she was thrilled. I got the sense that this was something really special, the amounts of money saved and borrowed are fairly small: but make a huge differences to those involved.

Panina Wambua talks to me about improving the lives of African girls

I have been working on articles for our quarterly Newsletter; Habari (www.build-africa.org/pages/habari-newsletter.html) The Summer 2010 edition highlights the women that we work with, and gives readers the chance to understand their lives, experiences, and how Build Africa’s programmes are making an impact. I interviewed Panina Wambua, who was keen to talk about the importance of sanitary care and how we are improving the lives of African girls. Panina is a member of the School Management Committee (SMC) at Itherero Primary School in Naivasha, Kenya. She explained to me in detail, the reasons why some girls do not attend schools. These reasons can range from early marriage, parents not understanding the importance of education, the pressure on them to find a job, or to undertake household chores, the need to look after siblings if one or both parents have died, and during their menstruation period. In some areas, girls can miss five full days of schooling a month during their period, due to lack of adequate sanitation facilities, and products. Build Africa has built 4 toilets and provided sanitary towels to the girls at Itherero. Panina was happy to inform me that since Build Africa had been providing the girls with sanitary towels, the girls were more comfortable, happy and grateful for the support. She states- “with the provision of sanitary towels we can provide education for all the girls”. A truly inspiring woman!

In the past few weeks I have been office based in Kampala, working on numerous different projects. I have produced four organisational brochures (About Build Africa Uganda, About MAHE II- Mainstreaming HIV/ AIDS in Education, About VSLA and About EQUIP- Education Quality Improvement Programme) to be displayed in our office here in Kampala, in Masindi and Kumi. I am in the process of populating and troubleshooting the shared document portal, which is an online resource centre. Here, people can locate all organisational documents, wherever they may be in the country. Once complete, I will train all members of the team on how to use the system. Next week I will be back out in the field, working with the Kumi education team. Until next time…

I love this picture- it was taken in one of the small fishing communities near Lake Albert whilst working in the Masindi district of Uganda

The team in the UK have been working on the online shop which has a new addition; you can buy a whole manner of amazing alternative gifts, from pots of paint to school desks. Click on ‘Get Shopping’ on our homepage for more info:  www.build-africa.org

This week I have been updating the school profiles, the aim is to have a full gallery of photos and videos for all 62 schools that we support in Kenya and Uganda:  http://www.build-africa.org/schools.php

You can see for yourself exactly what challenges the people in our communities face, their needs, their hopes and plans for the future. We support the rural poor, enabling them to be self sufficient, independent and we contribute to lifting them out of poverty.

Check out the video from St Aloysius Primary School in Uganda:

There is an old saying ‘Never work with children or animals’ I’m not sure who invented this saying, but I must say I couldn’t disagree more!  Whilst shooting for the Christmas gift thank you videos myself and the field teams had some laughs along the way- check out the video below…

Enjoying the music @ East Village, during the House for Africa World Cup Party

The idea for the party in London started a few months back, when a friend of mine said he couldn’t join us on the Kilimanjaro climb- but wanted to contribute and offered to play for free. Not having any experience in club night organisation or promotion, I went into it with an open mind and a touch of anxiety! A few calls later, I had 6 brilliant DJ’s lined up and ready to donate their evening to spin some tunes, pull the people in and raise some money for Build Africa.

We managed to secure the club- East Village for free, and a percentage of the bar takings. A good friend designed the e flyer, posters and flyers and I somehow managed to get thousands of flyers printed for free! Amazing! All in all, the event cost nothing but people time, and we certainly had plenty of that. Friends rallied round to spread the word about the party, flyer in the (hot) streets of London, entertain the guests and take entry fees on the door.

The event was a huge success, over 100 people came through the doors. We made £510 which goes directly towards our target of £30,000 to build an entire school in Kenya. I am honoured to know such passionate, energetic people who all made this night the success it was! Thanks to all those involved, from the door staff, to the DJ’s, to the flyer girls, and the party people, you know who you are!

Thank you from me, and Build Africa. Your contribution has made a difference to the young people who we support in East Africa.

Children learning in Waiga primary school- Uganda

I landed on English soil a few weeks ago; it’s great to be back and to be working in the UK office here at Build Africa in Tunbridge Wells. Seeing my friends and family has been amazing, I really cherish any time I can get to spend with them. It’s great to see them and I love them all dearly.

Recent news- our Chief Executive Susanne (UK) has resigned and our Director of Fundraising (UK) Oliver is now our new Chief Executive! Jo, Director of Programmes (Kenya) is moving on to pastures new and so is Ande from the Uganda team. So it’s all change aboard the Build Africa ship. Exciting times!

We wait to hear from Embassys in Kenya as to whether we have been successful in secure funding of water and sanitation facilities. Work has started on a new proposal for funding, watch this space for further updates.

All the Christmas gifts I have filmed are being uploaded to you tube as I type. That was a really great project to work on, getting to work closely with the team and beneficiaries. Whoever said that you shouldn’t work with kids and animals were totally wrong in my eyes! I would like to say a huge thank you to the field teams who played a huge part in helping me get this work done! Our trusted drivers (who without them I would without a doubt get lost in the bush trying to find our very remote schools!) Joseph, Sammy, Jacob, Fred and Dan. Our field teams who accompanied me- Charles, Henrietta, Eucabeth, and Thuku. The videos really capture the difference that the Christmas gifts have made to people’s lives, and we are starting the working on the Christmas Gift Catalogue for 2011.

A few weeks ago we had a film and radio crew come to visit for the day to capture my experiences and what I am and have been working on. I was filming interviews myself in the Naivasha district of Kenya, capturing the ‘soft education’ side of our work. In the past few months we have been providing sanitary towels to all the girls who are menstruating. Something we make take for granted in the UK, however a real challenge to attendance, exam pass rates and girls hygiene and comfort in class. With the provision of sanitary towels it means that girls don’t have to skip classes when they are on their period- it’s estimated that in rural Kenya and Uganda girls can miss up to a whole month of classes every year! So this is just one of the things that we are doing to help improve educational standards within the 20 schools we work with in Kenya.

Mrs Kimani, Health Club Patron Echariria primary school, Kenya. Proudly displaying the award for 'Best Health Club'

The crew captured some voice clips from me to help promote this year’s Vodafone World of Difference International Programme. The clips will be played in store and they also shot a short film to be emailed out to our customer database.

I also had a full day of radio interviews not so long ago. This was so nerve-wracking, and exciting at the same time! I took part in 12 altogether, discussing the ‘quarter life crisis’ with Damian Barr Author and Times journalist. Damian coined the term- ‘quarter life crisis’ and has undertaken some research alongside The Vodafone Foundation. The ‘quarter life crisis’ refers to those people in their twenty something, who feel like they are really not sure about what they are doing and where they are going in life. The study found in some parts of the UK, 3 quarters of twenty something’s are unhappy with their career, would quit and chose to volunteer if they had the opportunity to do so. There are many factors involved in why this particular age group are feeling the pressure and say that they are going through such a crisis. Property prices, celebrity obsession, the recession, career instability and money worries all play a part. The radio interview discussed the ‘quarter life crisis’ with Damian, and my experience of changing my career completely and donating a year of my time to work with an overseas charity. I hope that I inspired anyone who heard the radio interviews and may be feeling like they are going through the quarter life crisis- to apply! The deadline for applications is the 17th June, only a few days left!

Boys posing for the camera on the playing field of Itherero primary school

One of the main reasons for spending some time in the UK office whilst halfway through my year is to raise awareness and funds for Build Africa. The Kilimanjaro climb I am organising takes place in November. We have a total of 13 climbers who have committed which is brilliant, I have another 4 possible climbers who are looking to come on board and I should know by the end of this week if they will be joining us in our challenge ahead. Nils, my partner, and Jackie who works in the UK office are climbing, and we have all been busy organising a World Cup Party- House for Africa, which takes place at East Village next Wednesday (23^rd June), straight after the England match. The response and support has been fantastic! East Village have given us a floor (the lounge), special drinks offers, ALL money taken on the door goes directly to Build Africa- thanks Stu! The DJ’s are all donating their time, thank you Shane, Mark, Justin, Lewis, Ray and Jan. Craig at Argent Media is printing flyers and posters for FREE! I am overwhelmed by the amount of people who say they want to help out on the night too, thanks girls! This is going to be a huge success, and I look forward to updating you next week with how well the night went.

The month of April was really busy! I have been working on a communications project- visiting the beneficiaries of our Christmas Gift Catalogue from last year. There are 12 items, ranging from sanitary towels, to school desks to goats. My job was to film a short clip of the difference that gift has made to that persons life. This took me to the rural areas in the Naivasha district in Kenya, and the Bulisa district in Uganda. I wholly embraced this new challenge, and a very interesting challenge it was! The education gifts were fairly straightforward, however the income gifts were a little more tricky! This required some precise communication and production skills, a sense of humour and perseverance!

The clips are completed and being vetted by the UK team, to posted on the Build Africa You Tube Channel- http://www.youtube.com/user/BuildAfrica in the next few days. Once posted, the links to each gift will be sent to our donors who contributed to these gifts. An amazingly personal way of us saying thanks to our supporters!

I was joined on Friday by a film and radio crew who were documenting the work I am doing currently and the work I have been involved in over the past six months- what a fantastic day! We travelled to the Naivasha district of Kenya to work in Itherero and Echariria Primary Schools, for me to interview parents, pupils and teachers around soft education. I captured some really inspiring, motivating and moving interviews which will assist our fundraising team with the selling of soft education- things that are not so easy to fund such as sanitary towel provisions, teacher training, training of the pupil, teacher and parent members of the Health Club, and provisions of desks, textbooks and science kits. I was also being interviewed for the launch of the Vodafone World of Difference 2010 campaign, using my experience here to inspire others to apply. If anyone out there is reading this and is wondering whether to, please do it! It’s the most amazing opportunity, if you want to ask me any questions please feel free to get in touch on here.

Writing proposals and approaching donors is ongoing, no successes from my side just yet- but watch this space! Nairobi has a huge amount of NGO’s and Embassies who are funding local grassroots projects out here, there are so many opportunities to be had.

I have been involved in organising a community fundraising event- Build Africa Team Conquer Kilimanjaro, and I’m over the moon to announce that we now have 13 dedicated, passionate and determined climbers! The event takes place in November, deposits are paid and people have started to fundraise (I’m not so sure about the training yet!). Our target is to raise £30’000, enough to build Kavete Primary School in the Machakos district of Kenya. I’m working on obtaining corporate sponsorship, and so far we have raised 5% of our target.

Until next time…

It’s 6.30am and I am an hour away from boarding a flight to Uganda. I’m finishing my work on the thank you videos for the 2009 Christmas Catalogue. This is no ordinary day, for it is the 6th day that Northern Europe has closed its airspace due to ash clouds coming from an Icelandic volcano. Since Thursday last week, no flights have been allowed in or out of Northern Europe. Keeping a close eye on the news, last night it seemed that the situation was starting to improve, and flights could commence from 7pm this evening. Reviewing the headlines this morning, it seems a new ash cloud is heading towards the UK.

The disruption from the ash cloud is immense. Thousands of people are stranded. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like to be stuck in an airport for 6 days. No bed, no bathroom, no privacy. The UK Government is sending three Royal Navy ships to start the rescue process for some Brits stranded abroad. I really feel for those with families, little children who are probably very tired, restless and wanting some normality back in their lives.

Farmers here in Kenya are losing millions of shillings every day. Flowers from the farms in Naivasha are sat going nowhere. Fruit and vegetables have been sat for days in containers in the airport, perishing. What a waste, what a shame. It’s is massively affecting farmers here in Kenya, it’s devastating.

Although I am not one of the stranded, and ultimately do not know how it feels, thank God we have the technology and capability to know about this. Pilots are advised not to fly through volcanic ash clouds because of extreme problems it can cause an aircraft. As well as reducing visibility, the ash dust can cause partial or total engine power loss and damage aircraft ventilation and air data systems.
It really makes you stop and think about how lucky we are to be able to just hop on a plane and go wherever we like. It’s something I take for granted; imagine if this goes on for weeks, months even? Our lives could be in for a massive change.

I have close friends who are affected by the flight cancellations, it makes me realise how grateful I am that no one has been hurt. Love, support, somewhere to stay amongst other things will help those affected get through this. Let’s hope the little volcano doesn’t wake up the big one next to it…

This week I have been working in the rural areas of Naivasha in Kenya. This is where 10 of our 62 schools are located. I have really enjoyed filming for our 2009 Christmas Campaign. In our Christmas Catalogue last year, you could purchase anything from sanitary towels to chickens to school desks, in order to make a difference to the people we work with here in East Africa. Our pledge is to send everyone who has donated a video of the difference that gift has made. I filmed the gifts of sanitary towels, tree seedlings, desks and footballs. It was brilliant, really great to spend time with the pupils and teachers in our school and understand how they feel about the gifts that have been donated. What other organisation does this I ask? We send you a message from the heart, direct from the beneficiary. Wow!

I was also capturing some information and stories about the importance of soft- education. It can be fairly difficult to raise funds for things like teacher training, and training of the school management committee as these are things that are not actually visible, you can’t feel and see them. So I have been shooting some great interviews with teachers who have undergone training by Build Africa. Lindsey from Ngecho Primary school had lots to tell me, she has over 20 years of experience in teaching and has been trained in new methodology by Build Africa in the past few years. I have huge respect for this lady; she clearly loves what she does and does it very well. Watch this space for the uploaded videos in the next few weeks (on You Tube not Facebook as I mentioned in the video- oops!)

Whilst out in Uganda there was no or limited internet connectivity… so I was unable to upload any of my video diaries. Somehow along the way, my two video diaries that I shot whilst out there have decided to go missing!

Check out the video above for my second installment in the world of video diaries…

I returned from Uganda last week, having filmed in 22 of our schools that we support. I was literally blown away by the passion, commitment and absolute love for us as an organisation, from the people in the schools. I am lucky enough to be involved in a key piece of work at the moment, that is to film in every one of the 62 schools we work with. Working alongside David and Oliver from the UK office, we reached 28 schools, in the past 3 weeks. David will be editing the videos to be published as soon as humanly possible. I have ordered some editing software and will be editing the next set of videos myself (a whole new ball game for me, let’s hope I pick it up quickly!).

On our website we have a page for every school we are currently supporting .  You can read about the key challenges that the school faces, the summary of the School Development Plan, and how much funding is required to help get the school where it needs to be this year. In the coming months I will be ensuring that we have a video for every school. We interview the Head Teacher, a member of the School Management Committee, a Parent and a Pupil, capturing a message from them about what they need and why. It’s so exciting to be a part of this work, I love being out in the schools, working closely with the parents and the community.

One example from the School Development Plan  is that the children may lack a classroom, learning under trees without desks. Sitting on the floor is uncomfortable and hazardous, as it puts the children at risk from jigger bugs. A jigger, scientific name Tunga penetrans, is a sand flea that is brought about by lack of hygiene and breeds in dirty areas. The impregnated female Tunga embeds itself in the skin under the toenails and feeds on the skin of its host. A jigger-infested foot is completely disfigured; the afflicted can barely walk due to the pain from ruptured flesh. The resulting social isolation in turn creates a sense of trauma, reduced self-esteem and absenteeism. This is just one of the reasons why we need to build more classrooms. Why we are enlisting the help of the school in the fundraising. Why we need to continue our great work and increase our income, to reach as many children as possible.

The Kilimanjaro climb is set to go ahead in November. I have a great team of fundraisers here in the Nairobi office who are dedicated to making it work, and supporting the climbers with the huge task ahead. The UK team have been outstanding, giving me guidance and tips along the way. I have some definite climbers, all that’s needed now is a final recruitment push in order to get as close to 20 climbers as possible. The places will then be booked at the end of this month and we can concentrate fully on bringing in the funds. The target is to raise £30’000 in order to build a school either here in Kenya or in Uganda. We have had some great interest from people outside of Build Africa after sending out some comprehensive information, so I’m keeping everything crossed that we get some of these people on board!

I’m starting work on the statutory and corporate fundraising opportunities here in Kenya. I aim to meet with some local organisations in the next few weeks. Another great reason to get out there and tell the world about what an amazing job we do here at Build Africa.

Imagine this: It is a sweltering hot day, in the mid thirties. In order to get to school, you have to walk barefoot along uneven and dusty tracks. It could take you up to 2 hours to get to school. You wake in the dark in order to make your first class in time. When you arrive at the school you are weak, thirsty and hungry as you have not yet eaten or drank a thing. Your school has a classroom block, however there are too many children in the school for the block to accommodate all. Your lessons are under a tree, meaning that if it rains or becomes windy your lesson will have to stop. Because your school does not yet have a water tank, at lunchtime you have to walk to the nearest borehole or river to collect water. There may be snakes in the grass that you walk through, attacking you if you step on them accidentally. You may go the whole day without food which affects your concentration and makes you very tired. After a long day at school you face the 2 hour trek back home, where you will hopefully receive a meal consisting of rice, maize and vegetables.

This is part of everyday life in Kenya, Uganda and parts of the Developing world. The amazing thing is that these children go to school because they want to learn. Parents and community members want the best for their children, they want them to succeed in school and build themselves a future. It is not a hopeless situation, it is one which is filled with hope, determination, and sheer resilience. Education is key to lifting people from poverty. Can you imagine your child, brother, sister, or cousin making this arduous trek to school every day? Do you currently consider helping those less fortunate than you? If not, why not have a think about donating to Build Africa. Visit our website and click on the Donate button. You can give a regular gift or a single donation. Every little helps.

Thanks for reading!

Hey all!

Just a very quick post to inform you that I am working in Uganda at the moment, and I have very limited access to the internet. Therefore my Video Diary’s #2 and #3 will be posted on here, when I return to Nairobi at the end of next week!

Catch you then!

B x

I promised I would upload a weekly video diary… so here goes…

In this weeks video diary I discuss what I have been working on recently. Working alongside Jo, the Director of Programmes here at Build Africa, I am assisting with the School Development Plans (SDP’s). The SDP’s are at the heart of what we do in each of our 62 schools. From working with the pupils, parent, teachers and community, we can prioritise what work needs to be done, and by when. I am researching the Early Childhood Education (ECD) needs in each of our schools. It’s a huge task, something that I am really enjoying getting stuck into. I am currently looking for a volunteer out here to help me with the collection of data. Once the data has been collected and analysed we will have a clearer picture of what issues there are, where the support is needed and so on.

In the past week, I have also been busy recruiting people to join me in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! I am planning to climb in November of this year, and to raise enough funds to Build a School out here in Kenya. The target is £30’000, which is achievable with the right planning, team, determination and guts! I have some people interested in joining me already which is fantastic, and some of the girls here in the office are on board as the Fundraising Team, which I am over the moon about. Our first meeting will be held this Thursday.

This Friday I will be heading to Machakos to commence the task of filming in our schools. I will be travelling with David who is an intern based in the UK, he has a wealth of technical knowledge which will assist me in filming some great quality interviews with Head Teachers, Parents and Pupils of our schools. I will then join up with Oliver our Director of Fundraising and Communications, to travel to Uganda and continue the filming over there.  These videos will be added to the ones that are already on our website. Have a look at our school profile section, We want you to see the difference your support makes to the children and communities in and around the schools we work with.  This new section of our website keeps you up to date with progress made and plans for the future at every school.

I have just discovered that due to the size of my video I will need to leave my laptop in the office overnight for it to upload…  fingers crossed by the morning it will have worked!

I must begin with an apology for my January report being a tad belated! I was out in the field last week with no internet access, so it’s great to be able to set aside some time tonight to update everyone on what’s been going on in my world and Build Africa in Kenya over the past few weeks.

The new school profile section of the website is up and running, check out- www.build-africa.org and you will find the link on the home page. The team in the UK worked tirelessly to get this up and running before the end of 2009. What this means for us now, is that we are a totally transparent organisation. We display clearly on the website the work that has been carried out in each of our 62 schools, and the positive impact this has made to the lives of people in East Africa.

I have been working on a spreadsheet, a database of all the schools we have EVER worked with. This will also eventually be displayed on our website. So this took me to the field last week, out in the rural areas of Laikipia and Nyandarua to collect data. It was an unannounced visit to the schools, and the children were a little apprehensive at first! I was informed that some of them may never have met a white person before, so it was a new concept to them. With a smile, a hello and a shake of the hand they were pretty excited. They were so polite, they loved to shake my hand especially my little scientist (he had to prove it to believe it) who gave me a pinch on the hand to check I was actually real!

Whilst out in the field, travelling to and from the schools, I was alarmed to see a little child, maybe two or three years old, walking along the road on her own. I asked the guys if we should stop the car and try and find her parent. I think they thought I was mad, they explained that the parents do not go to school, and it was normal for the children in these rural areas to walk themselves to and from school. I was horrified, we were on a busy road, with cows, dogs, donkeys, open drains, broken glass, the list of possible hazards is endless. We must have seen another 10 or so children walking this day. Something I had never seen driving or walking around the villages of Kent. Something, that is part of normal everyday life here in Kenya. I just wanted to pick them up and give them all a lift home!

I am working hard to raise the awareness of the great work Build Africa does. We have successfully gone from just over 500 fans, to over 1000 fans on the facebook fanpage- www.facebook.com/pages/Build-Africa which is fantastic, next stop 5000 fans please! It’s great having the support of family and friends on this one keep spreading the word people. Lucy Caslon won a place on the Vodafone World of Difference programme last year. She set up the Msizi Africa Charity, which gives malnourished, hungry children in Africa access to nutritious food. Whether they’re in orphanages, child headed households or schools; Msizi Africa ensures they receive a healthy, balanced diet every day. They work in Lesotho, South Africa and Zambia. I am really excited about meeting up with Lucy when I am back in the UK next in June. Check out the website- www.msiziafrica.org.uk

Oliver and David from the UK team are heading out to Kenya in a few weeks time. I’m really looking forward to their visit; we will be visiting our schools documenting photos and filming Teachers and Pupils, for the website. This is great because it gives people the option, wherever they may be in the world, to see what work has been done, and also to see what work is required and what support is needed. I will be travelling with Oliver to Uganda on the 23rd, to carry on our documenting over there. Whilst out visiting the schools I will be conducting the first of my ECD research out in the field, collecting data from the schools and finding out about how parents feel about their children’s education, whether they go to nursery and if they are taught at home.

I’m still missing everyone terribly! I have recently met some lovely people and I’m slowly but surely making friends out here. I started doing a video diary when I first arrived here, however since then I’ve had trouble with the sound on the machine. I watched it the other day; it’s pretty sad because I am crying and upset about missing everyone. I had only been here three days! I feel like I have changed a lot in the space of a few months, although I do still have my down days (usually a Sunday!) when all I want is a hug and to see my friends and family back home. Now my video camera is fixed I will be doing a video diary every week, and publishing it on here.

From the 18th January I was in the week long quarterly meetings in Naivasha. I took notes (a lot of them!), it was great to learn more about the organisation, meet the field teams, and introduce myself personally. We had a team build at the end of the week which involved eating lunch on a floating restaurant, and climbing out of a crater up some very steep stairs… which leads me nicely on to my next point…

At the end of the year, I will be attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in my neighbouring country of Tanzania. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest free standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres. Climbing on the Marangu Route, with experienced, trained and professional guides, it can be completed in 5 or 6 days. This is no easy feat- temperatures can drop as low as minus 25 degrees celsius, and there is a risk of suffering from altitude sickness. I climbed in 2005 with Vodafone for the National Autistic Society, we raised £75’000 for the charity between nine of us. I’m currently recruiting climbers to join me in this chance of a lifetime challenge. My aim is to raise £30’000 to build a school. It’s a massive challenge; I am so up for it! I will be organising fundraising events both here and in the UK, which I have already started exploring. So, now it’s over and out so I can start sending out the invites…

Hi everyone,

Just a very quick message to say I have moved all my blogs from my old blog page-

http://rebeccabuildafrica.blogspot.com/

Onto here… so they are now all in one place!

Will be posting on here again tonight so watch this space!

B x

I arrived back in Kenya on Tuesday after the Christmas break visiting family and friends. It was great to see everyone, and to spend some quality time with my nearest and dearest. Nils and I were snowed in for about four days, we were right out in the sticks and literally couldn’t move the car from the drive! What a contrast from life in Kenya!

It’s been quite a tough week for me. I’m like a cat and absolutely LOVE my sleep, however this week I’ve not been sleeping well at all. I have a feeling it’s to do with the fact that I know I’m here for six months (another brief visit to the UK in June), and it’s all a reality. No visits home in five weeks to see everyone! Now I am here, I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do. The fact that I’m an eight hour flight away from England is pretty difficult. I knew it would be, I just don’t think I knew it was be as hard as it is. It’s funny, because when Nils and I got together over a year and a half ago things couldn’t have been so different, and there is no way I could imagine being where I am now! He used to talk about wanting to live abroad in the future, and it was a really sticky subject! I could not comprehend moving away from England to live in a foreign country. To me, I could not see the point in moving so far away. Through his and my family and friends support and encouragement, I am lucky enough to be getting out of my comfort zone, applying myself and making a difference here in Africa.

It’s great to be back and to be getting stuck back into my role. This week has been brilliant, I have gained a deeper understanding of what goes on behind the scenes here at Build Africa. I work with Jo, who is the Director of Programmes. I have to admit, that in the summer when I was applying for Vodafone World of Difference, I was a little unsure what working on programmes was all about. Things are clearer now, and from reading the Education Programme and the Education Strategy I have finally got to grips with it. I am researching Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the 62 schools that we work with. Children here in Kenya go to school at the age of 6. I am looking at what provisions there are, are the children learning in structured classrooms, do the have the correct play and learning materials, are the teachers trained? ECD is key to ensuring that children make the transition to primary school and that they remain in education.

On the fundraising side, this week I will be announcing my big plan for later this year. So, watch this space! We are busy in meetings this week in Naivasha, so I hope to work on fundraising opportunities here in Kenya around these.

Challenging myself, making the most of every opportunity, aiming to increase the awareness around the work Build Africa does, making a difference and seeing the impact. If you haven’t become a fan of ours on Facebook yet, then do so now! We are really close to 1000 fans! Thanks to all those who have have and are showing support. If you would like to make a contribution no matter how large or small please visit our website- www.build-africa.org and click on donate on the homepage! Thanks for reading!

A day I will never forget! We had an early start today, as we were being joined by the film crew for the Vodafone World of Difference. Muyoka and Frank joined us in the car on the journey, to capture some of my thoughts. As for the past two days, the drive into the schools was pretty bumpy! The schools are situated right out in the rural areas, sometimes an hour or so from the road.

We firstly visited Kapkures school again so that the guys could film the amazing difference the three classrooms has had on the school and the community. I was nearly moved to tears, when we got closer to the school, some of the children from the previous day were there, they were running up to the car and giving me high fives! The were genuinely so excited to see us again it was brilliant. When we got to the school I had a discussion with some of the parents. We had a joke and a laugh about my new name- Wambui! They loved it. It was really hard saying goodbye to the kids, although I met them just the day before I feel really attached to them.

We arrived at Morop Primary school just after 11am. The reception is warm, friendly and welcoming. The Headmaster shows me around the school, taking me into each classroom one by one. We have a lengthy discussion about the classrooms. Here, there are a mixture of buildings. So, there are classrooms constructed of mud with tin roofs. There are buildings that have been constructed by the parents, which are brick and have tin roofs. Of course these classrooms are of considerably better construction than the mud ones, however almost every single pane of glass in the windows are smashed. Finally we have two classrooms constructed by the CDF. These rooms have no roof. They house two tortoises! The tortoises don’t have names.

The School Development Plan for Morop Primary School prioritised the need for an admin block. And so an admin block was constructed. The Headmaster, Deputy Head and all the Teachers now have a safe, clean, secure environment in which to work. A toilet block has also been constructed. We settle for the handing over ceremony, and the children are clearly excited by the presence of the film crew. We witness some amazing tribal dancing by children of all ages. Six of the guests on the front row were invited up to dance- that included myself!!!

Just before the ceremony comes to an end, the film crew and I head off to shoot the interview. We get as far as the first question, and the heavens open! The rain is immense, we take cover, and lunch is served.We say our goodbyes to the Head, Teachers, Children and Community. These people are so grateful for the work that has been done so far. They are looking forward to the work that will be done in the future.

Seeing the impact that the work has on the people is mind blowing. I know why I’m here and exactly what I need to do. We need to finish off our filming for World of Difference, so I jump in the car with the film crew. We drive past Zebra on our way back to Nairobi! We stop just before the sun sets and head into a field. In the distance there are herds of Gazelles, Dik Dik and other amazing creatures. It was actually like being on safari, not in a jeep but on foot! The interview goes really well, and is if by magic when we finish up, the sun sets behind us. Beautiful. I have formed friendships with the camera man and the producer, and we decide to hook up over the weekend. I have had an amazing, eye opening past three days.

I cant wait to get back in the office on Monday and start researching into Early Childhood Development (ECD) for the 62 schools we work with. As of January 2009, the Government will pay for ECD Teachers which is fantastic. Lots of work to be done, I just cant wait to start seeing the impact of the work that I am doing on the children, parents, teachers and communities of the rural areas of Kenya and Uganda. Bring. It. On.

It’s fantastic to see your work on this blog Becks. It appears you have really embraced this experience.
We’re all very proud of you.

Mark

Day two of the field visit, and today we travel to Kapkures in the rural area of Nakuru in Kenya. We had a very warm welcome from theHeadmaster, and the local Chief. I wont distract from the message I want to get across about the school, and the work that is being done, however I have to just get this bit out!

I walked into the Headmasters mud hut, to instantly see on the floor what can only be described as a pile of dead something. The hut smelt a bit like a zoo, with the stench of death in the air. I was staring at a mound of hooves, ears (one pricked up somehow???), gorgeous auburn and white fur, blood and guts. I honestly thought I was going to throw up there and then, and had so much difficulty sitting in there for what seemed like an eternity, with a dead I presumed goat lying on the floor next to me. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. We went out to meet the pupils after about twenty minutes, I was so glad to get out of there!

The kids were brilliant, I was taking shots of them and showing them their photos on the screen, they were so unbelievably excited. I spent a good amount of time with them, until the Head decided he would rescue me and pull me away. I was quite enjoying it, however the handing over ceremony was about to start.

The school has 363 pupils (excluding ECD), with just 4 teachers. Work out the math and it’s apparent that this school needs more teachers. They actually require 16, so they are massively under resourced. The great news is, that the learning conditions for the pupils have increased massively since Build Africa decided to work with them. Classrooms were made of mud. There is no such threat of rain currently, as they have not really had rain here for over three years. When it is windy, the children have to lye on the floor and wait for the wind to stop. How disruptive and frustrating for the teachers and pupils.

This year, Build Africa have constructed three classrooms, and a toilet block in the school. The classrooms are comfortable, clean, safe from the elements. The children, parents, teachers and school management committee are all so grateful and thankful of the work that has been done. Next year, another three classrooms will be built which is fantastic.

I was honoured to plant a tree in the grounds of the school. This was pretty emotional, I didn’t expect to be doing this! A piece of history has been planted, and I will no doubt visit the school in ten years time to see how the tree is getting on!

Overall a fantastic day, it is great to get an insight into WHY this charity is so amazing. WHY do we care? Because the people here care, and we are offering our support and partnership in order to help them achieve their goals.

We set off early, whilst driving we spotted monkeys on the side of the road, waiting to be fed. We also spotted some Zebra, which was amazing! We arrived at the school around 11am.

Greetings were warm and thankful. I managed to get loads of photos. The biggest thing for me was, the 425 children who attend the school have just 4 teachers. Until the support came in from Build Africa, the classrooms were constructed of mud. Literally, mud huts. Can you imagine working, learning in this environment? The fantastic news is, now the school has 3 classroom blocks and a new toilet block. Amazing, the school will have a further 3 classrooms built in the course of next year.

It didn’t come to my attention until a few hours in to the handing over ceremony, that actually the very well behaved children sitting in front of us, shouldn’t actually be here. It was a holiday for them, yet the some parents and children had managed to get themselves to the school, to show their appreciation for the work that had been done so far. All around us there were families farming, fetching water. It was their choice to be here, and that was something in itself.

Sitting listening to the Headteacher, the School Management Committees, George our Country Director, it was an almost overwhelming experience. You honestly cannot imagine how much of an impact, working in partnership with schools in such rural ares, can have.

One of the most touching parts of the day, was hearing how some of the children actually wanted to re sit their past year, just so they could learn in one of the newly constructed classrooms. Bless them.

I really can’t wait to see the next school tomorrow. Until then, over and out.

Yesterday lunchtime we were driving towards the Upper Hill Area of Nairobi. I spotted a huge plume of flames in the direction we were going, and as we got closer it became apparent that this was not a small fire. People were gathering close to the area, the Police and Ambulances were struggling to get through. No sign of the Fire Engines at this point. I’m not sure how long the fire had been roaring, I think it had just started.

Joseph, our driver drove slowly past the restaurant. I was absolutely ******* myself! I managed to get a few shots on my phone, although they do not really show the intensity of the fire. At the exact same time as we drove past there was a massive explosion, about 20 metres away from the car. Joseph put his foot down, people were screaming and running frantically away from the fire. All I could think is that I hoped to God no one was in the building. I was shaking, I’ve not been that close to a fire or explosion before. I can’t imagine what it was like for the people inside the building.

We finished our meeting and after about 45 minutes the Fire Engines were on their way to the scene. Joseph explained that this is one of the major problems in the City. Sometimes rescue can take up to two hours to arrive. Absolutely devastating.

The good news this morning is that no one was seriously injured. One person was harmed in the fire. I sigh a massive sigh of relief, now on with some work.

Oh my! Yesterday was sooooo difficult! I knew saying goodbye was going to be hard, so I’m not sure why or how I managed to cry for the majority of the plane journey!!! (It may have something to do with watching the film- My Sisters Keeper???) It felt strange to have the film crew there, and I think Nils and my family felt as if their personal space was being invaded a touch, so we decided to do a mock ‘Saying goodbye.’ There were tears flowing, even for that part, however when it came to the real thing, you could really feel the intensity of the emotions between us.Thanks and love to Nils, Mum, John, Ange, Ian, Jan, Tim, Char and Tash. For those who couldn’t be there to see me off, family and friends you know who you are… I will miss you madly; I couldnt do this without your love and support. You rock! Each and every one of you. And I love you MASSIVELY!!!

My World of Difference placement started last Monday 9th November, at the UK office of Build Africa, based in Tunbridge Wells. Well what can I say about the team? Without sounding too sucky, they really are a fantastic bunch of people. They all work their socks off for such a brilliant cause. They have welcomed me, and really made me feel part of the family. There are some truly special people working here, and I am really glad I chose to work with them on my World of Difference year.

Build Africa is a dynamic young charity, working with the people of Kenya and Uganda to escape poverty through education and business enterprise. Within their Build A School programme they currently work with 62 schools, in the rural areas of Kenya and Uganda. This is not an organisation who goes to Africa to build a school. Build Africa develop three year school development plans. We build classrooms, staff rooms, toilet blocks, water supplies and accommodation for teachers. We provide desks, books, equipment and teacher training. The local community leads each project. We train and support school management committees and work closely with parents to ensure that the children receive the best education possible now and in the future.

My role over the next year will be two- fold. I will be working closely with the Director of Programmes- Jo Thomas, and with the field team out in Kenya and Uganda. Broadly, I will be working on Programmes and Fundraising. My aim is to apply my current skills, experience, passion, enthusiasm and desire to succeed to this role, enjoy every minute of it, and make a difference to the young people of Africa.

I am really excited to have joined right now, some of the team are working on developing the website. The website is great- http://www.build-africa.org.uk/ take a look! A huge amount of work is going into the schools section, watch this space for updates!

It’s been an emotional first month, from saying goodbye to my nearest and dearest, to experiencing first hand the positive impact of the work completed so far. I still have to pinch myself from time to time, as being here and doing what I love sometimes feels like a dream. I’ve settled in quickly, found somewhere to live, and the team spirit is fantastic at Build Africa.

In 2009, we’ve worked with 49 schools in the rural areas of Kenya and Uganda, rising to 62 in 2010. Over 130,000 children have and are being supported since 2004, with access to improved learning environments, increased HIV/AIDS and gender awareness, strengthened school management committees, teacher training and parental involvement.

At the start of my placement I was still in the UK and was assisting the team with developing the website. From the end of this month, the work that has been completed in every school will be visible for all to see, which is great. I am currently also working on proposals to link our work with Vodafone and MPESA in Kenya. If we can get these off the ground we will secure funds for education for thousands of Kenyan and Ugandan children.

One of my major projects is to research the current Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy in Kenya and Uganda. Just yesterday I collected the policy documents from the Ministry of Education, and I will be meeting with the Director of Education in January. I am looking at the practices we have in place in the 62 schools we work with and how it can be improved. I am also liaising with the UK team to organise a huge fundraising event for later next year, which will require lots of training…that’s all I can say for now!

Last week we visited schools in the rural area of Naivasha, Kenya. We took part in the handing over ceremonies celebrating Build Africa’s work so far. It was amazing to see the difference that the new classrooms, toilets and administration blocks has made to the children, teachers, parents and communities of these rural areas. Enrolment in some Kenyan schools has increased by 25% as a result of improved facilities and parents’ renewed faith in education so the impact is immense.

I didn’t realise until a few hours into the first day that the children and parents we were meeting didn’t have to be there. In fact, they were actually on holiday but had come to the school to say thank you, perform and celebrate the success of our partnership. They’re here because they care about their children’s education and want to play a part in improving the standards of teaching and learning. The fact that food was being provided on the day was also an attractive incentive: sometimes the children go without food and water all day which is one of the contributing factors to absenteeism.

On our second day I met a young pupil called Benjamin; he had a serious eye infection which clearly wasn’t being treated. It’s heartbreaking. There is so much to do here, you feel like you want to do it all. Education and health are a right to all. Why should these children have to endure dusty, dirty learning environments? It’s great to know that we are supporting these schools, and giving them opportunities to grow, develop and succeed. I have been given a Kenyan nickname- Wambui – and I have been honoured to plant a tree in the grounds of Kapkures Primary School.

I’ve been participating in regular video updates too, which you can view below to get more of an insight into how amazing these first few weeks have been!